BOASTING three first round AFL Women’s draft selections last year, Bendigo Pioneers are on a high ahead the 2025 Coates Talent League Girls season. With three top-age Vic Country summer hub representatives and some others to watch, we caught up with coach Whitney Kennedy about her side this year.

PRESEASON

“The whole playing group has been looking really good. I think our training standards and the intensity they have been training with has been really positive. Holistically, really good.”

TOP-AGE VIC COUNTRY HUB MEMBERS

Ava Bibby
Key Forward | 186cm | 09/05/2007

“She’s one of our taller players so she’ll spend a bit of time probably between the ruck and forward. She’s really, really good aerially, she’s got a really brilliant kick. Developing more of her running ability and capacity so it should be pretty exciting season for her.”

Ella Jeffrey
Midfielder/Defender | 167cm | 09/08/2007

“We’ve played her largely off half-back last year but we’ll look to roll her through some inside mid work and potentially push her forward through this year. Beautiful kick of the footy, really tough at the contest, strong, powerful. Looking forward to seeing what she can do.”

Olivia Lacy
General Utility | 169cm | 15/06/2007

“Olivia will hopefully spend a bit of time across all three lines this year. Her running ability is really good, she’s got a fantastic work rate and her general skill level is really quite positive which is exciting to see. Her tackling is also her weapon, she’s a really good pressure player.”

>> PROFILED: 2025 Vic Country summer hub

OTHERS TO WATCH

“Issy Boulton is a smaller forward, pretty electric type player. She’s shown some great improvement in her running ability and speed throughout preseason. She’s been super exciting and she’s just someone who looks pretty dangerous and lively when we get the ball inside 50. Hopefully we can see some really good things from her.”

“I think Lacey Nihill is travelling along really well [with] her professionalism and her will to want to get better. She’s becoming a real competitor. Beth Morris is similar, she falls into that category of she’s got an outstanding work rate. She’s been given some feedback about her running and she’s made massive improvements. She’s just a competitor, really good in the contest and so reliable for us. They’re two keys and then I think Georgia Garlick as well.”

RETURNING OVER-AGERS

“We’ve got Sasha Pearce who’s a development player at Carlton VFLW. She’ll spend a bit of time down at Carlton and with us as well which is really exciting. She’s our key over-ager that is coming back.”

STYLE OF PLAY

“We want to be a team that looks to use the open side of the ground on transition. With transition from the half-back line into offence, really aggressively and really quickly and with high support of each other. We’ll look to play that way and we want to try and be able to move the ball down the ground of the line and through different angles and just allow the girls to also showcase their strengths as well. We want to be able to put them into roles and positions where they’ve got the opportunity to shine so that’s probably our biggest thing.”

ROUND 1

vs. Murray Bushrangers
Saturday April 5, 11:00am
Norm Minns Oval, Wangaratta